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Friday, 19th March 2004

Then and Now: Aspland Maternity Home, Hyde

Carl Palmer

THEN: The Aspland served the community for 40 years

THE Aspland Maternity Home in Hyde, Cheshire was the pride of the area when it opened as a hospital on October 1, 1931 - and for more than 40 years served the community of as a safe and much loved place to have their children.

Its closure in November 1973 may have marked the end an era for Aspland babies - but poignant memories of the former maternity home are as varied and numerous as the children whose lives started there.

Archivist Doreen Ward, who is busy collecting any memorabilia relating to Aspland, said: "The Aspland Maternity Home is still of huge interest to a lot of people, and the response I've had from people either born at the home, or with memories of the place, have been staggering.

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"I've had communication from people locally, nationally, and internationally. It was a much loved place and the people of Hyde were proud to say they were born at Asplands."

The building on Lower Higher Lane, Gee Cross, was presented to the town of Hyde by the widow and son of Arthur Palmer Aspland, a leading figure in the industrial and social life of Hyde.

The grounds were formally opened as a public park on 29th July 1922 before the house was converted into the maternity hospital.

Staffed by a matron, two midwives, laundress, cook, two domestics, and a caretaker, there were only two small wards and 14 beds.

Mrs Ward added: "From the early days, there are stories of horse and coaches that would bring expectant mothers.

"On many occasions in the depths of winter, when the lane leading to the home was covered in snow and ice, ambulances could not get all the way to the Asplands, and the matron and nurses could be seen running out of the entrance down the lane to the stranded mothers to be.

NOW: The site has been redeveloped

"The matron and nurses looked as if they were flying, with their uniform capes trailing behind them, blown about by strong winds."

When they were not fast enough and the baby was born in the ambulance, mother and baby, by prior arrangement, would be taken to a house on Higham Lane.

In 1932, the fee for a 16-day stay and delivery at the home cost the family a staggering £4 and 10 shillings.

Mrs Ward said: "I was very touched by the story of a woman who rang to tell me that she had identical twin sisters who were born ten minutes apart and died ten minutes apart.

"Although there was a great sense of grief she wanted to share with us her sense of great pride about Aspland and that gives me a great insight into what the place meant to many people."

And such was the protocol of the times, when the time was close for babies to be delivered, anxious fathers could be seen waiting in a line in the grounds outside waiting for news.

Sadly, the building was demolished in 1987 and the land sold to make room for private housing. Two stone pillars, which once stood on the driveway to Aspland were donated to Werneth Low Country Park, and were erected on the drive at the entrance to the park.

In November 1998, Mrs Margaret Snow, a grand-daughter of the Aspland family, unveiled a plaque on the wall at the side of the pillars.

At Lower Higham Visitor Centre, Werneth Low Country Park, on Sunday 23rd May, 12.30 - 3pm, everyone is invited to afternoon tea in the orchard to take a nostalgic walk around the area. Anyone with Aspland memorabilia is asked to contact Doreen Ward at Werneth Low Country Park on 0161 368 6667.

Do you have any memories of the Aspland Maternity Home?